Which type of social influence leads a person to adopt others' opinions to gain approval or avoid disapproval?

• A. Normative Social Influence
• B. Informational Social Influence
• C. Social Facilitation
• D. Group Polarization

Answer: (A)

Normative social influence is at work whenever someone goes along with others to be liked or accepted and to avoid disapproval. In these situations the goal is social acceptance, so a person may adopt others’ opinions or behaviors even if they privately doubt them. This often results in public conformity while private beliefs stay unchanged. A classic example is when people go along with a group’s judgment to avoid standing out or being judged, not because they truly believe the group is right. By contrast, informational influence involves adopting others’ opinions because you think they have better information and you’re aiming to Be correct, which can lead to internal changes in belief. Other concepts like social facilitation focus on performance in the presence of others, and group polarization describes groups moving toward more extreme positions after discussion, not the motivation to seek approval.